


the sound of home

by BeesKnees



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Found Family, Immortal Husbands Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Lullabies, M/M, Nile Freeman-centric, Singing, theoldguardkinkmeme fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:02:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25928590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeesKnees/pseuds/BeesKnees
Summary: When they've had a long day or a tough mission, Nicky will sing to Joe until he falls asleep.Nile comes to appreciate this ritual as well.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 64
Kudos: 541





	the sound of home

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for the Old Guard Kink Meme community.

The first time it happens is not long after Merrick. The four of them are still sleeping piled into the main room of the safe house. Nile has a sense that Andy is maybe indulging them a little, but Nile also gets the sense that this isn't that strange after a rough mission. That they all desperately need to hold each other tighter to remember that they're a family.

Nile's sleep is still uneasy most nights. Too much has changed, and she's still reeling with all of it. New location, new family, new life. She wakes one night to a strange noise and it takes her a moment more to realize that someone's crying – Joe.

She sits up, ready to check and see if he's okay, but Andy nudges her with a foot before she gets too far. She raises a finger to her lips. Nile's insides twist with worry. She doesn't like the idea of ignoring when any of them are in pain, especially after seeing how things played out with Booker.

But before she can worry too much, she hears a low, soothing sound. Nicky – singing to Joe. His voice is a little muffled, as if his mouth is pressed to the top of Joe's head, but Nile can tell all the same that he has a good voice. It resonates, gentle, throughout the room, like a rainstorm. Nile can only make out enough of the words to gather that the song – lullaby? – is in Italian. After a few moments, the sound of Joe's tears quiet and it's just Nicky's warm voice filling up the room. 

Nile relaxes against her makeshift bed. Her eyes drift shut not long after.

…

Nile learns to tell what nights Nicky will sing. She predicts it in the tightness of Joe's shoulders, in the worry lines around his eyes. It's usually after hard days – either missions that don't go as well as they wanted or when some bad memory gets brought up. Joe will be exhausted but too wired with emotion to be able to properly sleep.

It happens a lot in Nile's first few weeks with them. Nicky always starts out with the same Italian one and then usually one in Arabic, but then he'll shift between lullabies. Nile doesn't even know all the languages he goes through. Usually, Nicky will stop after Joe falls asleep. Nile will hear his breathing go deep. Sometimes, though, he'll keep going even after Joe falls asleep. Those nights, Nile usually falls asleep before he stops.

…

After they leave the safe house, Joe and Nicky head to Malta, and Nile sticks with Andy. Nile does ask at one point if it wouldn't be safer for them to stick together for a while longer, and Andy had laughed.

“You don't want to be around them right now,” Andy answers. “Trust me on that.”

Still, Nile finds that she doesn't sleep quite as well when she's in her own bed with nothing but silence and her own thoughts.

…

They're not apart for long, though, before Andy decides it's safe enough for them to convene for a mission. They do, in Brazil, and Nile can't deny that she's thrilled to see Nicky and Joe again. They seem lighter and for the first time, Nile actually gets to enjoy some of the perks of being an immortal. Nicky and Joe track out a curriculum for the best languages for her to learn and in what order, and their historical stories have become humorous. They love to try and embarrass each other. 

She comes back one day after a particularly grueling training session with Andy to find them dancing in the kitchen. Nicky is singing loudly as he and Joe faux waltz and twirl about the kitchen. Joe is laughing hard into Nicky's shoulder.

Nile lets out a snort of laughter and because it seems like, in between the dancing, Nicky is cooking dinner, Nile takes a seat at the kitchen table. 

“Stop,” Joe protests, near breathless with his laughter, trying to push at Nicky when he realizes that Nile is in the room. Nicky sings louder, perhaps purposefully off tune.

“You're embarrassing me in front of the baby,” Joe says, casting a wink at Nile. “And how ashamed all of your teachers would be of your footwork, Nicolo.” 

Nicky finally relinquishes Joe who heads over to the table. Nicky keeps singing, bright and happy, as he turns back to finish their dinner. Joe settles in next to Nile to chat about her day. 

Nile doesn't realize just how much she's missed Nicky's singing until now. Of course, this is a far cry from the warm nighttime lullabies, but it's starting to feel like home all the same. Trying to be sneaky about it, Nile tugs out her phone and presses the record button. 

Somehow, Joe still tracks the motion. He smiles at her. 

“No need to keep it a secret,” Joe says. “He'd sing for you whenever you'd like.”

Nicky looks over his shoulder at the two of them.

“You have a fan, habibi,” Joe says. 

Nile's trying to decide whether or not to be embarrassed, but neither Nicky nor Joe seem at all put off by catching her.

“He has a good voice, doesn't he?” Joe says conversationally, even though he's still looking at Nicky. “You have to hear his opera, of course. But he does some rather marvelous covers of modern boy bands as well.”

Nicky laughs as he brings their dinner over to the table.

“Those, I'm afraid,” Nicky says, “are for Joe's ears only. But anything else you like, sweet Nile.” He presses a kiss to the top of her head.

…

The next time they're separated, Nile holds her phone in her hands at night like the treasure it is and falls asleep to the sound of Nicky's voice singing soft lullabies.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the LLF Comment Project, which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> \-- Short comments  
> \-- Long comments  
> \-- Questions  
> \-- “<3” as extra kudos  
> \-- Reader-reader interaction
> 
> This author replies to comments.
> 
> shout at me on [tumblr](https://kneesofthebee.tumblr.com/)


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